Damn The Torpedoes (Deluxe Edition) Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

• CD 1
• 1 Refugee 03:21
• 2 Here Comes My Girl 04:33
• 3 Even The Losers 04:02
• 4 Shadow Of A Doubt (A Complex Kid) 04:25
• 5 Century City 03:40
• 6 Don't Do Me Like That 02:40
• 7 You Tell Me 04:32
• 8 What Are You Doin' In My Life? 03:25
• 9 Louisiana Rain 05:56
• CD 2
• 10 Nowhere 03:38
• 11 Surrender 03:26
• 12 Casa Dega 03:40
• 13 It's Rainin' Again (Playback 1995 Box Set Version) 01:30
• 14 Shadow Of A Doubt (A Complex Kid) Live 04:42
• 15 Don't Do Me Like That (Live) 02:50
• 16 Somethin' Else (Live) 02:29
• 17 Casa Dega (Demo) 03:33
• 18 Refugee (Alternate Take) 04:32
• Total Runtime 01:06:54

Info for Damn The Torpedoes (Deluxe Edition)

In 1979, with disco, glam, progressive and other music styles becoming more prevalent, rock music needed a statement. It got one. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers third album, Damn the Torpedoes was not only a breakthrough but a masterpiece as well. And in the face of the changing landscape of rock music, a statement that classic, blues based guitar rock was never going away. Petty outdoes himself with the song writing and the Heartbreakers prove they are far more than just a backing band, forming a tight unit to perform songs that run the gamut of life: Hard times, love won and lost, and redemption. With Jimmy Iovine’s standout production the album spent seven weeks at #2 on the Billboard charts and charted two Top 20 singles in “Refugee” and “Don’t Do Me Like That.” This Deluxe Edition features the full original album remastered from the original analog master tapes and a second disc of rare and unreleased B-sides, alternate takes and live tracks.

Although Tom Petty has retained a dedicated core audience since his heyday in the late 70s, as evidenced by the generally positive reception of the Heartbreakers’ latest LP Mojo, the Floridian rock legend’s lustre seems to have been eroded somewhat by the march of time and shifting tastes. Unlike fellow US immortals Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, Petty has struggled to win over a new generation of young fans willing to kick-start a new chapter in his career. Damn the Torpedoes, re-released in a new deluxe edition, stands a good chance of arresting this decline. This release will undoubtedly be treasured by long-time fans on board since Petty’s Mudcrutch days, but it should also serve as the perfect introduction for newcomers curious about America’s most accessible rocker.

What’s immediately noticeable about Damn the Torpedoes is the timelessness of its melodies and riffs. While some classic Petty albums, like solo hit Full Moon Fever and the Heartbreakers’ sixth release Southern Accents, feel firmly grounded in the 1980s, Torpedoes is the kind of sleek nine-track beast that rocks as hard today as it ever did. With its measured but piercing guitars and laconic vocals, the album also heavily signposts the influence Petty has had on modern southern rock outfits like Drive-By Truckers, Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket. Opening track Refugee instantly lays out the trademark Petty blueprint: clean, assertive riffs followed by surf-cool vocals and an instantly memorable chorus, coming to a final crescendo before the fun has worn off. Speaking of fun, tracks like Even the Losers and Don’t Do Me Like That still crackle with a mischievous energy, every note and guitar lick hiding a brazen smirk or sly wink.

As a deluxe package, this release is solid, if hardly exhaustive. The new digitally re-mastered mix sharpens the songs, adding to the openness that is the album’s chief strength. Previously unreleased tracks Nowhere and Surrender showcase the economic songcraft and infectious poppiness that Petty mastered during the Damn the Torpedoes sessions. While a demo of B side Casa Dega and an alternate take of Refugee don’t add much for the non-obsessive, the jewel in the crown of this package is the trio of live performances from the Hammersmith Odeon in 1980 (including a cover of Eddie Cochran’s Somethin’ Else), which bring home the Heartbreakers’ flawless on-stage credentials at the height of their prowess.

Over 30 years since its release, Damn the Torpedoes still sounds like the breezy pop-rock experience it was always meant to be, and remains a record ripe to be discovered by a new generation. (Chris Lo , BBC Music)

Re-mastered: Mastered in 96/24 from the original analog master tapes at Bernie Grundman Studios.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Upon the release of their first album in the late ’70s, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers were shoehorned into the punk/new wave movement by some observers who picked up on the tough, vibrant energy of the group’s blend of Byrds riffs and Stonesy swagger. In a way, the categorization made sense. Compared to the heavy metal and art rock that dominated mid-’70s guitar rock, the Heartbreakers’ bracing return to roots was nearly as unexpected as the crashing chords of the Clash. As time progressed, it became clear that the band didn’t break from tradition like their punk contemporaries. Instead, they celebrated it, culling the best parts of the British Invasion, American garage rock, and Dylanesque singer/songwriters to create a distinctively American hybrid, recalling the past without being indebted to it.

The Heartbreakers were a tight, muscular, and versatile backing band that provided the proper support for Petty’s songs, which cataloged a series of middle-class losers and dreamers. While his slurred, nasal voice may have recalled Dylan and Roger McGuinn, Petty’s songwriting was lean and direct, recalling the simple, unadorned style of Neil Young. Throughout his career, Petty & the Heartbreakers never departed from their signature rootsy sound, but they were able to expand it, bringing in psychedelic Southern rock and new wave influences; they were also one of the few of the traditionalist rock & rollers who embraced music videos, filming some of the most inventive and popular videos in MTV history. His willingness to experiment with the boundaries of classic rock & roll helped Petty sustain his popularity well into the 21st century.

Born and raised in northern Florida, Petty began playing music while he was still in high school. At the age of 17, he dropped out of school to join Mudcrutch, which also featured guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench. By 1970, Mudcrutch had moved to Los Angeles with hopes of finding a record contract. The fledgling Shelter Records, founded by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell, offered the group a contract. However, Mudcrutch splintered apart shortly after relocating to L.A. Cordell was willing to record Petty as a solo act, but the singer’s reception to the idea was tentative. Over the next few years, Petty drifted through bands, eventually hooking back up with Campbell and Tench in 1975. At the time, the duo were working with bassist Ron Blair and drummer Stan Lynch; soon, Petty became involved with the band, which was then named the Heartbreakers. Petty was still under contract to Shelter, and the group assumed his deal, releasing Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in 1976.

Initially, the band’s debut was ignored in the United States, but when the group supported it in England with a tour opening for Nils Lofgren, the record began to take off. Within a few months, the band was headlining its own British tours and the album was in the U.K. Top 30. Prompted by the record’s British success, Shelter pushed the album and the single “Breakdown” in the U.S., this time with success; “Breakdown” became a Top 40 hit and “American Girl” became an album-oriented radio staple. You’re Gonna Get It, the Heartbreakers’ second album, was released in 1978 and it became the group’s first American Top 40 record. Petty & the Heartbreakers were poised to break into the big time when they ran into severe record company problems. Shelter’s parent company, ABC, was bought by MCA, and Petty attempted to renegotiate his contract with the label. MCA was unwilling to meet most of his demands, and halfway through 1979, he filed for bankruptcy. Soon afterward, he settled into an agreement with MCA, signing with their subsidiary Backstreet Records. Released late in 1979, Damn the Torpedoes was his first release on Backstreet.

Damn the Torpedoes was Petty’s breakthrough release, earning uniformly excellent reviews, generating the Top Ten hit “Don’t Do Me Like That” and the number 15 “Refugee,” and spending seven weeks at number two on the U.S. charts; it would eventually sell over two million copies. Though he was at a peak of popularity, Petty ran into record company trouble again when he and the Heartbreakers prepared to release Hard Promises, the 1981 follow-up to Damn the Torpedoes. MCA wanted to release the record at the list price of $9.98, which was a high price at the time. Petty refused to comply to their wishes, threatening to withhold the album from the label and organizing a fan protest that forced the company to release the record at $8.98. Hard Promises became a Top Ten hit, going platinum and spawning the hit single “The Waiting.” Later that year, Petty produced Del Shannon’s comeback album Drop Down and Get Me and wrote “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” as a duet for himself and Stevie Nicks. Featured on her album Bella Donna, which was recorded with the Heartbreakers’ support, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” became a number three hit. Petty & the Heartbreakers returned late in 1982 with Long After Dark, which became their third Top Ten album in a row. Following its release, bassist Ron Blair left the band and was replaced by Howie Epstein, who previously played with John Hiatt.

Petty & the Heartbreakers spent nearly three years making Southern Accents, the follow-up to Long After Dark. Hiring Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart as a producer, the band attempted to branch out musically, reaching into new territories like soul, psychedelia, and new wave. However, the recording wasn’t easy — at its worst, Petty punched a studio wall and broke his left hand, reportedly in frustration over the mixing. Southern Accents was finally released in the spring of 1985, preceded by the neo-psychedelic single “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” which featured a popular, pseudo-Alice in Wonderland video. Southern Accents was another hit record, peaking at number seven and going platinum. Following its release, Petty & the Heartbreakers spent 1986 on tour as Bob Dylan’s backing band. Dylan contributed to the lead single “Jammin’ Me,” from the Heartbreakers’ next album, Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough), which was released to mixed reviews in the spring of 1987. Just after the record’s release, Petty’s house and most of his belongings were destroyed by fire; he, his wife, and two daughters survived unscathed.

In 1988, Petty became a member of the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, which also featured Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. The Wilburys released their first album at the end of 1988 and its sound became the blueprint for Petty’s first solo effort, 1989’s Full Moon Fever. Produced by Lynne and featuring the support of most of the Heartbreakers, Full Moon Fever became Petty’s commercial pinnacle, reaching number three on the U.S. charts, going triple platinum, and generating the hit singles “I Won’t Back Down,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” and “Free Fallin’,” which reached number seven. In 1990, he contributed to the Traveling Wilburys’ second album, Vol. 3. Petty officially reunited with the Heartbreakers on Into the Great Wide Open, which was also produced by Jeff Lynne. Released in the spring of 1991, Into the Great Wide Open sustained the momentum of Full Moon Fever, earning strong reviews and going platinum.

Following the release of 1993’s Greatest Hits, which featured two new tracks produced by Rick Rubin, including the Top 20 hit “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” Petty left MCA for Warner Bros.; upon signing, it was revealed that he negotiated a $20 million deal in 1989. Drummer Stan Lynch left the Heartbreakers in 1994, as Petty was recording his second solo album with producer Rubin and many members of the Heartbreakers. Like Full Moon Fever before it, 1994’s Wildflowers was greeted by enthusiastic reviews and sales, tying his previous solo album for his biggest-selling studio album. In addition to going triple platinum and peaking at number eight, the album spawned the hit singles “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” “You Wreck Me,” and “It’s Good to Be King.” Petty & the Heartbreakers reunited in 1996 to record the soundtrack for the Edward Burns film She’s the One. The resulting soundtrack album was a moderate hit, peaking at number 15 on the U.S. charts and going gold. Echo followed three years later, becoming the first Heartbreakers record to make the Top Ten in almost 15 years.

The Last DJ, a scathing attack on the corporate greed inherent in the music business, was released in 2002, followed in 2006 by a solo album, Highway Companion; both albums reached the Top Ten, and Highway Companion went gold in the U.S. After this, Petty reunited his original band Mudcrutch for a 2008 album and tour. Mojo, credited to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, appeared from Reprise in 2010. The band toured fairly regularly over the next four years, then returned in the summer of 2014 with Hypnotic Eye, the first number one album in their career. Two years later, Petty reconvened Mudcrutch for their second album, appropriately entitled 2. On October 2, 2017, Petty was found at his home in cardiac arrest, and he died at a hospital in Santa Monica later that day. Nearly a year later, his family and band released the box set An American Treasure as a tribute to the departed rocker. A double-disc hits collection, The Best of Everything, followed in March 2019.

This album contains no booklet.